Thunderbirds Series 1, Episode 8: Safe Bet
by SatNavDan
Summary: Thunderbirds in an alternate universe. International Rescue have to find Lady Penelope's racehorse before the Grand National whilst Penelope and Parker search for his rider after both are kidnapped by a rival horse gang.
1. Pre-Titles

DAWN broke over England and as the orange glow of the morning sun slowly began to illuminate the granite-stone walls of the Creighton-Ward Mansion, the birds began to sing and the distant sound of a cockerel from a nearby farm drifted through the air.

Most of the people in the Creighton-Ward Mansion were still sleeping, including Lady Penelope who was snoozing peacefully in her four-poster bed. Mrs Appleby, Lil the Cook and some of the other servants were already up getting things ready, but one main was not – Annette Éclair had been having one of the best nights of her life by sleeping in Parker's bed with him.

Just to look at the state of the room would show just how much fun they'd had during the night. Clothes were scattered all over the floor and mixed up. Both were cuddled up underneath the duvet with very little clothing on. It had been a bit of a rush for them to start as Parker and Penelope had only got back from a party at around midnight. So when he'd reached his room, Parker had already found Annette waiting for him.

The alarm clock rang on Parker's bedside table and he had to reach out in order to turn it off. At first he accidentally knocked it onto the floor so had to lean over the side of the bed before he could actually push the button.

"Oh, well," Parker's voice said from under the duvet. "H'another night over."

"Noooo!" pleaded Annette grabbing hold of Parker. "Don't get up, my love! We still need more time."

"Oh, h'alright, just h'another five minutes though," Parker said.

Parker was true to his word and got himself out of the bed five minutes later much to Annette's disappointment. She felt sure it had only been two minutes instead of five. Parker wasn't wearing much at all except for his white sleeveless vest and a pair of blue underpants. Annette wasn't much better except for that she was wearing one of Parker's silk white shirts.

Sitting up in the bed, Annette looked over at the curtains. She could just see the orange glow from the sun creeping through the gap between them. "Oh, sun, why do always have to bring our fun to an end?" she asked bitterly.

"You sound like you'd prefer h'a miserable rainy day?" chuckled Parker as he washed himself in the bathroom.

"Oh, Aloysius, I just wish there could a time when Lady Penelope doesn't need you to be around so that we can just be together," sighed Annette.

Parker emerged from the bathroom drying his face on a towel. "Now don't you be unkind h'about 'er Ladyship, young lady," he said. "She done h'a of a lot for you by making sure you could remain safe h'and 'idden from those who come h'after you in Germany. Besides, I 'ave a sworn oath to protect 'er Ladyship. If h'I were to fail h'in that task, Lord Creighton-Ward would probably 'ave me 'ung, drawn h'and quartered."

Annette looked horrified, she jumped out of the bed and flung her arms around him. "No, he wouldn't!" she cried. "I wouldn't let him!"

Parker laughed. "Calm down, Annette, my dear," he said. 'I wouldn't let it 'appen h'either."

Annette hugged Parker tightly pressing her body up against his. "I love you," she said.

* * *

It seemed a typical Spring Saturday morning on the Creighton estate. Ian Appleby the gardener was busy mowing the lawn. Mrs Appleby was watering some of the plants around the front of the house and Annette was inside helping to change the sheets on all the beds. But Lady Penelope was doing something a little different today. She was out on the front lawn exercising her racehorse. In keeping with the tradition of her vehicles, he was called FAB3, and today was going to be a big day for him as he was soon going to be taken up to Aintree Racecourse to take part in the 2069 Grand National. This would be a big first for FAB3 as he'd never competed in that particular race before. He'd run several races at other courses including Ascot and had won a number of them, but never in the Grand National.

Parker walked across the lawn to where Penelope was riding FAB3. She looked very smart in her pink top, brown trousers, black leather riding boots and black jockey hat on. Her blonde hair floated like ocean waves behind her as FAB3 raced down the lawn and back again.

Upon seeing Parker approaching, Penelope slowed FAB3 down and brought him over to where he was standing. "Good morning, Parker," she said.

"Morning, m'lady," said Parker. "'e seems in top form for this h'afternoon's race."

"Oh, indeed, Parker," agreed Penelope. "I've been looking forward to this for so long! It would be wonderful if he won."

"I 'ope so too, m'lady," agreed Parker. "H'I've got h'a little bet on 'im winning!"

Penelope raised her eyebrows but then smiled as well. She knew what Parker could be like when it came to betting, especially on horse and dog races. She was about to speak again when a faint buzzing sound coming from behind. She looked around and was surprised to see a small yellow helijet coming in low towards them. "That's odd," she remarked. "Are we expecting visitors today, Parker?"

Parker shook his head. "Not that I know off, m'lady," he said.

Both watched as the helijet came closer. FAB3 began to get nervous as he didn't like the noise of the helijet's engine. Suddenly, it came down really low and its engines let out a mighty roar.

"Cor lummie! Watch out!" cried Parker.

Penelope gasped and grabbed hold of FAB3's reins as he suddenly neighed and reared himself up. "Oh, no!" she cried. "The noise is frightening him! Steady, FAB3!"

5! (DUN)

4! (DUN)

3! (DUN)

2! (DUN)

1! (ENGINE ROARS)

*Thunderbirds theme plays*

"THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!"


	2. Act I

The helijet continued to buzz low to the ground, scaring FAB3 and making him bolt.

"Gracious!" gasped Penelope. "Easy, boy!"

"What is that pilot playing at?!" Parker shouted.

FAB3 raced off across the lawn with Penelope holding on for dear life whilst the helijet chased after them. he darted right out of the open grounds gate and into the woods on the opposite side.

Penelope felt a bit scared, not so much for her safety, but for FAB3's. I think someone's after FAB3, she thought to herself. But who could it be?

Before she had time to think any further, two black motorbikes burst out from within bushes and also gave chase. As fast as he was, FAB3 couldn't outrun them or the helijet.

"They're gaining on us!" Penelope called to the frightened horse. "Go for it, boy, go for it!"

FAB3 picked up a little more speed, but it wasn't enough as the motorbikes and the helijet could still keep up. Then as Penelope looked ahead, she froze. There was a dark green horsebox parked in a clearing up ahead with two men waiting by it. She now realised that someone was indeed after FAB3 and that the motorbikes and the helijet were simply there to guide them towards it.

Penelope hoped to surprise the pursuers and escape them before they could do anything, but she never got the chance. As they entered the clearing, the motorbike on the right raced past and swerved to a stop in front of FAB3. They were cornered! The horse then let out a loud NEEEIIIIGGGGHHH! and reared up throwing Penelope off.

"UUUGHH!" Penelope cried as she was thrown to the ground.

"GRAB THAT HORSE!" shouted the man on the motorbike.

The two men by the horsebox ran forwards and grabbed hold of FAB3 before guiding him into the box whilst the two men on the motorbikes made sure Penelope stayed on the ground.

Penelope luckily wasn't hurt from the fall, but she was very angry. "You cowardly thief!" she hissed at the biker who'd pulled round in front of them. "If anything should happen to my horse…"

"You'll get him back after the race," said the biker. "If you behave yourself. And that means no calling for help!"

There was nothing Penelope could do but watch helplessly as the horsebox was driven away with FAB3 locked in the back of it. The two motorbikes raced off in another direction and the helijet flew away as well.

"Well, that went better than expected, didn't it, Terry?" said the man driving the horsebox.

"Indeed it did, Bill," agreed the man in the passenger seat. He could see Penelope in the wing-mirror. "We'll be long gone before she can get any help!"

Penelope wasn't alone for long though when she heard the sound of another motorbike engine along with dogs barking. She turned round and saw Ian Appleby riding towards her on his motorbike with Parker riding in the sidecar. The barking was from her nine beloved dogs – Sherbet the Pug, Meg the Border-Collie, Bonnie the Cocker-Spaniel, Lance the Greyhound, Millie the Great Dane, Alfie the St Bernard, Pongo the Dalmatian, Tess the Brown Labrador and Harry the Black Labrador. They gathered around Penelope, wagging their tails, happy to see she was okay.

"M'lady!" cried Parker as he scrambled out of the sidecar. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes!" said Penelope, still shaking with fury. "But those horrid men took FAB3!"

"Who did?" asked Ian. "Did you recognise them?"

"No," Penelope replied. "But I'm guessing they belong to one of the rival teams from the race this afternoon. One of them said I'd get him back after the race."

"Yeah, right!" fumed Parker. "When h'I get my 'ands on those…"

"Not now, Parker!" Penelope said sharply as she climbed into the sidecar. "I don't care what he said. I AM going to call for help. Parker, get behind Ian. Ian, take us back to the mansion. I've got a call to make."

"Hold on tight, m'lady," said Ian once Parker was sat on the bike behind him. He turned the bike around and headed back through the woods towards the estate with the dogs following behind.

* * *

The news of what had happened to FAB3 had already reached the mansion by the time they got back. Mrs Appleby, Annette and the rest of the maids were standing on the stone steps waiting for them.

"Oh, your Ladyship, thank goodness you're safe!" exclaimed Mrs Appleby as she helped Penelope out of the sidecar. Normally Parker would've done this but in his haste to get off the back of the motorbike had lost his footing and fallen over. Luckily for him, Penelope hadn't noticed as Annette raced forwards to make sure Parker was okay. He was, but his smart butler's uniform now had dust from the gravel on it so she began to work quickly trying to dust it off.

Penelope entered the Drawing Room. She'd told Mrs Appleby and the other servants not to disturb her as she had two important calls to make. She was going to have to call her friend Chantelle Cutler who was FAB3's rider and trainer. She needed to be told what had happened to him. But before she did that, Penelope had a more important call to make – to the other side of the world.

Whilst it was daytime in England, it was night-time on Tracy Island. Daniel was up late as usual having been filling in a report on a mission they'd done the day before. He was just about to turn in when the radio bleeped. The eyes on Penelope's portrait on the table by the sofa were flashing at a much faster rate than usual. This told Daniel that the call was important.

"Go ahead, Penny," said Daniel.

"Daniel, I need your help," said Penelope. "This is most urgent."

"Sure, what's the problem?" Daniel asked.

"It's FAB3," said Penelope. "He's been stolen!"

Daniel was shocked. "What?! How?!"

"I was exercising him ready for the Grand National this afternoon," Penelope explained. "Then this helijet came down and startled him. It chased us into the woods where two motorbikes appeared and they herded us to a waiting horsebox. They made him throw me off his back and loaded him into the box before racing away!"

Daniel gritted his teeth. "Those…devils!" he exclaimed. "Do you want us to help you find him?"

"Yes, please," said Penelope. "I know it's late where you are and I'm really sorry if I'm disturbing any of the girls, but please, help me find him!"

"Don't worry, Penny, we will," promised Daniel. "How long until the race?"

"About four hours," said Penelope. "That's not a lot of time."

"Let's hope it's enough," said Daniel. "I'll contact Kerry once we're airborne and maybe she can locate the horsebox."

"I'll do that," said Penelope. "FAB3's got a tracker in his collar so it should be easy for her."

Daniel nodded. "Very good," he said. "Keep in touch, Penny. We're on our way."

After Penny had signed off, Daniel pressed some buttons on his desk. He didn't want to disturb the whole team so only selected Laura, Katie, Wizzy, Rosie, Leanna and Jodie. It wasn't long before they arrived, all in their nightclothes and looking sleepy.

"Dad, what's going on?" Laura asked. "I thought we were having a quiet night in?"

"Sorry, Laura, but I've just had a call from Penelope," said Daniel. "FAB3 has been stolen."

All of a sudden, the girls were no longer sleepy and looked at Daniel with the exact same expression that he had had when Penelope had told him of the news.

"FAB3 stolen?!" exclaimed Wizzy. "You're kidding?!"

Daniel shook his head. "Afraid not, Wizzy," he replied. "Penelope's rather distressed by it – especially as he's booked to appear in the Grand National during the afternoon. Penelope's going to get Kerry to track FAB3 and guide us to him. Now let's get going, we don't have much time."

"What pod should we take?" asked Katie. "We don't exactly know what we might have to do."

"I suggest Pod 2," said Jodie. "That has the interchangeable pods in it. Then you can custom-build the vehicles you need when you come to it."

"Excellent idea," said Daniel. "Now let's go!"

Laura hurried over to the revolving wall panel that led to the revolving elevator that would take her down to Thunderbird 1. After having turned through the wall and standing on the elevator, robotic arms attached her uniform to her as it went down. At the same time, Katie, Rosie, Leanna and Wizzy hurried out of the lounge to make their way down to Thunderbird 2 whilst Daniel hurried over to the large rocket painting on the wall. He leant back against it and it began to tilt backwards sending him sliding down into a harness which took him down a long green tunnel. Robotic arms worked to attach his blue uniform with green utility sash as he went down. Once all that was complete, the rail his harness was on moved from the bottom side of the tunnel to the top side. Laura was now in her uniform and being carried out on a retractable walkway to Thunderbird 1. She sat down in the seat which was then moved inside before the hatchway sealed. The trolley that Thunderbird 1 stood on began to move taking Thunderbird 1 up the diagonal tunnel towards its launching bay under the swimming pool. Daniel then reached Thunderbird 2's silo and swung down through the hatch in the top before closing the hatch behind him. He hurried to his seat and sat down before selecting Pod 2 on the computer. The pod conveyor activated moving Pod 1 underneath. Once Pod 2 was in position, the main body of Thunderbird 2 was lowered down onto it. Whilst all this had been going on, Katie, Wizzy, Leanna and Rosie had travelled down express elevators from the mansion to the silo and like Daniel had been changed into their uniforms on the way. They were now able to join Daniel in the cockpit and were ready to go. The rocks concealing the entrance to the hanger were lowered to allow Thunderbird 2 to taxi out onto the runway. As it came out, the palm trees were tilted back to allow it to pass. Up by the house, the swimming pool was opening up ready for Thunderbird 1 which was just coming into position on the launch pad. Thunderbird 2 was now on the launching ramp which lifted up into position. The wings folded into position and the blast shield rose into place behind the rocket engines.

5…4…3…2…1!

The rocket engines of Thunderbird 1 fired and it lifted up off the launch ramp, though the gap where the swimming pool had been before climbing high into the night sky above Tracy Island. Thunderbird 2's own engines fired and it lifted up off the ramp to join its sister-ship.

"Thunderbirds are go!" said Daniel as the two ships headed North-East to begin the long journey to England.

Jodie sat at Daniel's desk keeping one eye on her watch when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the lounge. "Two minutes, thirty seconds," she said as Beth, Adrienne and Joanne walked in.

"Did we just hear Thunderbird 1 take off?" asked Beth.

"You sure did," said Jodie. "Thunderbird 2's gone out as well. They're going to England to help find FAB3."

"Lady Penelope's racehorse?" asked Adrienne. "Why, what's happened?"

"He's been stolen," Jodie explained. "And he's due to run in the Grand National later in the afternoon. Penelope's asked for our help to find him."

"Oh, God!" exclaimed Joanne. "I hope they find him."

"Who'd want to steal him though?" asked Beth.

"Well there's only one possibility, isn't there?" said Jodie. "It has to be one of the rival horse owners. I'd heard FAB3 is one of the favourites to win the race so to remove him from it would give the others more of a chance."

They had to agree that Jodie's theory was probably correct.

* * *

As Thunderbirds 1 and 2 raced across the Pacific, Daniel got in touch with Kerry for an update on the situation. "Thunderbird 5, I presume you've spoken to Penelope?"

"Sure have, Thunderbird 2," answered Kerry. "I've been scanning the area around the Creighton-Ward estate but I'm not having much luck so far. I can't seem to get a fix on FAB3's tracking beacon either."

"Keep trying, Kerry, he has to be there somewhere," said Daniel. "What's Penelope doing right now?"

"She said she was going to see FAB3's rider," said Kerry. "Then she's going to join us in the search."

"F-A-B," said Daniel. "The sooner we find FAB3, the better chance he's got to take part in the race."

"Couldn't we take him there?" asked Katie. "I mean no other horse has ever arrived in style."

"That'll depend on how long it takes to find him and also what condition he's in," said Daniel. "We don't know if those crooks have harmed in any way."

"They better not have!" said Leanna. "I can't stand injured animals."

"Even that would be beyond my skills," agreed Rosie. "I may be a doctor, but I'm no vet."

"Penelope will know where to get one if need be," said Daniel. "But let's just hope it doesn't come to that." he paused and looked out the window. "Hmm – I hope the rider's okay."

"What makes you say that?" asked Wizzy.

It was a few seconds before Daniel answered. "I don't know, Wizzy," he said. "But I've got this strange hunch. And I hope I'm wrong."

* * *

FAB1 was driving down the country road towards Cutler Cottage on the outskirts of Foxleyheath. Penelope had not said a word since they'd left the mansion. Parker had noticed that she'd had her mobile phone against her ear for some minutes now.

"Still no word, m'lady?"

"No, Parker, nothing," Penelope replied. "This isn't like Chantelle at all. They must have already left for Aintree."

Parker was having bad thoughts as well. "You don't suppose that she might also…"

"Parker, don't you dare even suggest that!" Penelope snapped. "To have this happen to FAB3 is bad enough!" She dialled Chantelle's number again before placing the phone back to her ear. "Come on, Chantelle. Pick-up for heaven's sake!"

Parker stayed quiet until he caught sight of the white-painted cottage further up the road. As they pulled up outside, they noticed two cars were parked near the garage – dark green Ford KA and a dark blue Ford Focus.

"Well, they're both still 'ere, m'lady," said Parker as he opened the door to let Penelope out.

Penelope strode up to the front door with Parker following behind. It seemed very quiet. There wasn't even any birdsong which Parker thought was unusual. Then as Penelope knocked on the door, it moved slightly. Penelope frowned. It hadn't been closed properly. "Parker…" Penelope said in a low voice. "There's something wrong here. Go and check around the back whilst I check inside."

Parker nodded and headed off to search around the garden whilst Penelope cautiously went inside. She armed herself with her stun-pistol just in case there was someone in the house that wasn't meant to be.

"Hello?" Penelope called out. "Anyone there?"

Nobody answered. Penelope felt uneasy as she made her way through the cottage. She checked the lounge, the kitchen, the dining room and even had a peek in the cupboard under the stairs. Nobody was there, and she couldn't see any signs of there being anything wrong. She paused by the stairs when her watch beeped.

"M'lady, I've checked the gardens h'and there's nobody 'ere," said Parker. "It's way too quiet."

"No luck here either, Parker," Penelope replied. "I'm going to check upstairs. Hold on…" She listened hard. Now that she was standing still, she could just make out a faint sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like music. "I think someone is here," Penelope said quietly. "I'm going to check upstairs."

"Be careful, m'lady," said Parker. "I'll be with you h'in two ticks!"

Penelope carefully made her way up the stairs. As she did so, the sound of the music became a bit clearer. She recognised it as one of the 'Planets' Suites by Holst. There were four doors along the landing, the first led into the bathroom, which was empty; the second had Chantelle's name on the door but that was also empty. The third door had Tegan on it – she was Chantelle's little sister. This room wasn't empty, for the young girl was sleeping soundly in her bed. Penelope's blood ran cold for a moment as she went to inspect her. However, she didn't appear to be drugged or anything and was just sleeping. Penelope then went to the fourth door which was where the music was coming from. She placed her hand on the door, ready to see what terrible thing she was about to discover on the other side.


	3. Act II

Penelope paused for a moment and then opened the door. She gasped at the sight that met her. A large woman with short dark red hair and a grey fleece sat on a chair on the opposite side of the room. She was bound to the chair with silver duct tape around the upper part of her body to the backrest whilst her wrists were tied to the arms of the chair. More tape bound her legs to the front legs of the chair whilst another piece covered her mouth. She let out some muffled cries as Penelope hurried over to her.

"Hey, Clare, it's okay, you're safe now," said Penelope as she peeled the gag off Clare Cutler's mouth.

Parker then arrived and he froze. He and Penelope looked at each other. They knew what this meant.

Clare was in tears. "Where are my girls?" she asked. "What have they done with them?"

"Tegan's asleep in her bed," said Penelope. "Clare, what happened here?"

Clare wiped her eyes. She was in a real state.

* * *

Penelope relayed the bad news to International Rescue.

"So my hunch was right after all," said Daniel. "Not only had FAB3 been taken, but so has his rider."

"I'm so sorry, Daniel, but I have to look for her," Penelope said. "You're going to have to find FAB3 without me, I'm afraid."

"That's not a problem, Penny," Daniel said. "You go look for your friend and we'll go and find FAB3, providing Kerry can narrow down the field of search."

"Funny you should mention that," Kerry said. "I've just been able to locate his beacon. It seems he's heading towards an abandoned quarry – about thirty miles to the South of Creighton Manor."

"A lonely spot where nobody would think of looking," said Katie.

"And as far away from the racetrack as possible," added Wizzy. "This has to be the work of one of the rival horsemen."

"I've been thinking the same thing," agreed Penelope. "And I have a sneaky suspicion I might know who that is."

"And who'd that be?" asked Daniel.

"Rupert Everett," said Penelope. "He's the owner of Unbeatable – the horse that has won the last four Grand National races."

"And he sees FAB3 as a potential threat?" asked Laura.

"Yes, he must do," said Penelope. "Unbeatable and FAB3 are both the fastest racehorses in the world. Clearly Everett doesn't want his horse to be beaten as it would mean he wouldn't land the world record for the most wins of a horse at the Grand National in a row."

"Then he seems the most likely suspect," said Daniel. "However, we'll need solid evidence before we can accuse him."

"Agreed," said Penelope. "Now, I'm sorry but we're going to have to begin our search – only we don't have any clues to go on."

"What do you have to go on?" asked Daniel.

"Only that three men broke into the house – one armed with a gun," Penelope said. "They bundled Chantelle into their van and left Clare bound and gagged."

"Did she see the van?" asked Jodie, who like Kerry was listening in.

"Only the top of it from her bedroom window after she'd been tied up," said Penelope. "She said it was bright blue."

"Well that narrows it down," said Daniel. "I don't suppose that there's any way you can trace it?"

"No, afraid not," sighed Penelope. "Oh, this day just gets worse!"

"Penelope, I have an idea," said Jodie. "During FAB1's last upgrade, I added a tyre-mark scanner. Scan the road surface around the front of the cottage and you may well find what you're looking for. Then you can follow them to wherever that van went."

Penelope brightened up instantly. "Of course!" she said happily. "Jodie, you're a genius!"

Jodie blushed. "Oh, please," she said.

"No, Jodie, you are," said Daniel. "Okay, Penelope, you get onto that. we'll let you know when we find FAB3 and his horse-nappers."

"Thank you, Daniel," said Penelope. "Please be careful."

"You too," said Daniel.

* * *

Penelope and Parker returned to FAB1 after promising Clare that they would find Chantelle. Parker soon found the device that Jodie had mentioned and it didn't take him long to figure out how it worked. At the touch of a button, it sent out a radar pulse which revealed a set of tyre tracks on the road from the front of the house. A quick check of the Police database confirmed that they were the type used by transit vans.

"Perfect match, m'lady!" said Parker. "If this does what Dr 'ackenbacker says h'it does, it'll lead us right to them!"

"Excellent," said Penelope. "Let's get moving, Parker. Quickly but carefully now."

FAB1 set off along the road. Parker had to regularly press the scanner so that it revealed more of the tyre tracks, but it was definitely working. They could only hope that Chantelle's abductors hadn't gone too far.

* * *

Bill and Terry had driven the horsebox to an abandoned quarry. It was the perfect hiding place for them. there was nobody around. Ignoring the 'Danger' signs, they entered the quarry compound and headed for a nearby cave.

"Soon the race will be over," Terry was saying. "And once the boss's horse has secured the victory, we'll be rich!"

"Yeah!" agreed Bill. "Hey, wait – what's that noise?"

There was a rumbling sound coming from somewhere nearby.

"I don't hear anything," said Terry. "Easy, Bill – you're just getting jumpy."

But Bill was getting a little more than jumpy. He thought he recognised what the sound was. "It's a helicopter!" he cried. "It must be the cops!"

"Get in the cave then, hurry!" shouted Terry.

Bill put his foot down and the horsebox raced into the cave before screeching to a stop. FAB3 was shaken around in the back, but otherwise he was unhurt.

The two crooks thought they were safe now that they were in the cave, but it was then they realised their mistake. The rumbling sound that Bill could hear was now louder than it had been before, and it was definitely not the sound of a helicopter. And then, it happened – the whole cave began to shudder and shake followed by a loud CRASH from behind. Once it had stopped, Bill and Terry got out of the horsebox to see what had happened. They froze when they saw it. Huge rocks had fallen down and completely blocked off the cave mouth.

"That was no flamin' 'elicopter!" exclaimed Bill. "It was a landslide!"

"What are we gonna do?!" cried Terry. "We're trapped!"

"Hush your mouth, idiot, you're frightening the horse!" snapped Bill. "The helijet boys know where we went. They'll come looking for us." He then looked at FAB3 who was looking agitated. "Easy there, boy. We won't hurt you." He went to stroke FAB3 but the frightened horse saw him as a threat and decided to bite his hand. "EEEEEEEEEEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" Bill cried out as he danced around in pain. "YOU GREAT STINKING ANIMAL!"

* * *

Kerry had been monitoring the signal from FAB3's tracker and had noticed it was no longer moving. "The signal's come to a stop," she said to Daniel and Laura. "Looks like they've gone into that old quarry."

"Is the quarry safe?" asked Daniel.

"Negative, it's been abandoned for some time," Kerry replied. "Not sure why though."

"Maybe the area's unsafe," suggested Laura. "Or something bad happened there which caused it to be shut down."

"Either way, that's where FAB3 is," said Kerry. "Might I suggest that you approach with extreme caution."

"F-A-B," said Laura and Daniel together.

"I'm over England now, Kerry," said Laura. "I have a lock on the signal. Will be there in just under three minutes."

"F-A-B, Laura," said Daniel. "We're about ten minutes behind you. Find out where about in the quarry he is and report back."

"F-A-B, Dad," said Laura.

* * *

Thunderbird 1 soared over the English countryside and it wasn't long before it arrived over the quarry. Laura looked down at the large expanse of dug-out ground. It looked perfectly fine to her, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a danger present.

"Thunderbirds 2 and 5 from Thunderbird 1, I'm over the quarry now," Laura said. "However, I can't see any sign of FAB3, the thieves or the horsebox."

"According to my holo-map, you're right above him, Thunderbird 1," Kerry said. "Please don't tell me that I've been tracking the wrong signal?"

Laura flew low over the quarry looking for clues. "Hang on, I think I've got something here," she said. "Wheel-marks in the ground, and they look fresh and…oh, no!"

"What is it, Laura?" asked Daniel.

"The tracks end at a pile of rocks," said Laura. "Unless…"

Kerry took a closer look at the mountain of rocks in front of Thunderbird 1. "Bingo!" she said. "The scanners have picked up a horsebox and three life-signatures inside a cave. Two are human, the other is not!"

"FAB3?" asked Katie.

"Has to be," said Daniel. "But, Laura, did you say the tracks ended at rocks?"

"Affirmative," answered Laura. "The mountain must be unstable and when they drove inside it must've caused a landslide which had blocked off the entrance."

"Well, that's some good news," said Wizzy.

"It is?" asked Leanna. "How?"

"Well if that's the only way in and out then they can't escape from us," said Wizzy.

"That is true," said Rosie. "But that also means that we can't get in to capture them and get FAB3 out safely."

Katie sighed heavily. "If only we could've anticipated a situation like this," she said. "We could've brought either the Mole or the Firefly along."

Jodie appeared on the holo-screen. "This is why I suggested the interchangeable pods," she said. "You could make one into a bulldozer-pod to clear away the rubble or you could make one into a Mole-pod so you can burrow your way in and catch them out."

"Good thinking, Jodie…again!" said Daniel grinning. "What would we do without you?"

"Err…that is a good question, Mr Tracy," answered Jodie. "I'm not sure even I could answer that one!"

"I'll land and take a closer look at the rock-fall," said Laura.

"F-A-B," said Daniel. "Our ETA is four minutes."

Inside the cave, Terry was bandaging Bill's injured hand when FAB3 began to whine. Before they could tell him to be quiet, they heard a noise coming from the other side of the rocks.

"You hear that?" said Terry. "What is it?"

"It's an aircraft!" Bill realised. "It must be the helijet! They've found us!"

But it wasn't the helijet they could hear, it was Thunderbird 1's vertical jets as it came in to land near to the rock-fall. Laura got out and began to examine the rocks. There were quite a lot of them and a few more smaller ones slipped down which told her that the area wasn't very safe. She turned around when she heard the distinctive engine noise of Thunderbird 2.

"Easy with the approach, Thunderbird 2, the area around the cave is unstable," Laura warned.

"F-A-B, Laura," Katie replied. She then activated Thunderbird 2's vertical jets and guided the craft down to land close to Thunderbird 1.

* * *

Whilst Thunderbirds 1 and 2 were arriving at the quarry, FAB1 was making good progress in its hunt for the transit van that Chantelle had been taken away in.

"I hope it's not much further, Parker," said Penelope anxiously. "There's only just two hours left until the race starts. Even if Daniel and the girls find FAB3 and deliver him to the racecourse, he won't be able to take part without Chantelle."

Suddenly, Parker sharply applied the brakes and stopped the car.

"What on earth was that for?" Penelope asked.

"Shh, m'lady," whispered Parker. "Look!"

Penelope looked at where Parker was pointing. Her eyes widened slightly. There was a bright blue transit van parked in a nearby farmyard. Parker looked at the screen showing the tyre-tracks. They led into the very same farmyard.

"I believe that we 'ave found the van, m'lady," said Parker. "I'm going to guess that Miss Curtis is h'around 'ere somewhere."

"And I'll hazard a guess that she'll be in that barn," said Penelope looking at the large building that the van was parked next to. She could just make out the shapes of two men walking around the van – most likely the ones who'd taken Chantelle. "Keep the car out of sight, Parker. We'll go in on foot."

"Right-h'o, m'lady," agreed Parker as he slowly reversed FAB1 back down the road.

After concealing FAB1 amongst some bushes, Penelope and Parker began to make their way across the fields towards the barn. They kept themselves as low down as they could to avoid being spotted by anyone who might be watching out for trouble.

* * *

Daniel and the girls surveyed the landslide in front of them.

"I see what you mean about the mountain, Laura," said Daniel. "It does look a bit unstable."

"Using a Mole-Pod might make it worse," agreed Katie. "Even just clearing these rocks away could trigger another one."

"I know the risk, Katie, but we'll have to chance it," said Daniel.

"Kerry's confirmed there's no other exit to the cave," said Laura. "However, we don't want the thieves attempting to make a run for it once we clear the entrance."

"Then here's what we do," said Daniel. "Katie, set up one of the pods as the Mole and burrow your way into the cave. Come up on the opposite side to where the horsebox is and that way you'll be able to cut the thieves off. Take Leanna with you, and once you've secured them, Wizzy can use the bulldozer-pod to clear the rocks so we can get FAB3 out."

"Sounds like a plan," said Wizzy.

"Let's do it," added Leanna, eager to start work.

The girls headed back into Thunderbird 2 and went into the pod's bay where the four yellow pods were waiting for them. Katie selected the 'Mole'-mode whilst Wizzy selected the 'Bulldozer'-mode. Robotic arms worked quickly to attach the necessary parts needed to the pods. Both were mounted on frames with yellow crawler-tracks. One had rollers, a drill-mounting and the drill itself attached to the sides and front respectively and the other had a large bulldozer blade fitted to its front. Once all this was done, Katie and Leanna climbed into the two-seater Mole whist Wizzy climbed into the front seat of the bulldozer. Strangely all three were thinking the same thing. They weren't concerned about the thieves like they were for FAB3.

"Ready, Dad," said Katie.

Daniel used his wrist-controller to lift the main body of Thunderbird 2 clear of Pod 2 before opening the door to allow the two vehicles to move out. Katie drove the Mole out first and positioned it around the side of the rock-fall. Leanna then began to plot a safe route using the computer to enable them to come up and trap the thieves.

"Course plotted, Katie," said Leanna. "Let's go get them!"

"F-A-B!" said Katie.

Daniel, Rosie and Laura stood underneath Thunderbird 1 out of harm's way as the Mole-Pod tipped forwards to face downwards. Its drill spun up and with a rumble of its engine, burrowed its way into the ground and disappeared from view.

Bill and Terry could hear the rumbling sounds from outside and were getting concerned.

"HEY!" Terry shouted through the rocks. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS PLAYING AT OUT THERE?! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

"Terry, stop shouting, they can't hear you!" Bill barked. "They're probably trying to figure out a way to…what the…?!"

The cave walls began to shake again. At first they thought the deep rumbling sound they could hear was the ground, but soon realised that it was moving through the walls past them. They hurried round to the front of the horsebox where they saw some large cracks appearing in the wall on their left.

"Err…Bill…I'm scared!" wailed Terry. "The world's coming to an end!"

Before Bill could reply, the wall burst open as the Mole entered the cave coming to a stop once its drill was just touching the opposite side. There was nowhere for the thieves to go.

"Wow!" exclaimed Bill. "What is that thing?"

"That's definitely not the cops!" exclaimed Terry. "Where did the guys get something as cool as that?"

But their amazement was cut short when the top of the Mole opened and the two girls jumped out before pulling out their stun-guns.

"Woah, easy there!" exclaimed Bill as he and Terry held their hands up.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Terry.

"We're International Rescue," said Katie. "And it's not you that we've come for."

"We're here for FAB3," said Leanna.

Bill and Terry looked at each other, startled. "Who?" they both said.

"DON'T mess us about!" snapped Katie. "Now where is he?"

A loud neigh came from the horsebox telling the two girls that FAB3 was safe.

"NO!" cried Terry. "YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM!" He then ran towards Leanna who shot him with her stun-gun.

"TERRY!" yelled Bill. He then ran towards Leanna but was taken out by Katie's own stun-gun.

"Pathetic," Katie remarked.

Leanna nodded in agreement as she and Katie quickly handcuffed the two men before going to check on FAB3.

"Aww!" exclaimed Leanna once Katie had opened the back of the horsebox. "He's gorgeous!"

FAB3 looked at the two girls. He didn't recognise Leanna but he had seen Katie before and lowered his head to be patted. "Hey, it's okay, big fella, you're safe," said Katie. "I hope those nasty men didn't hurt you."

Leanna turned on her watch radio. "Laura, we've got them," she said. "The two crooks are cuffed and FAB3's safe."

"Well done, both of you," said Laura. She nodded to Daniel.

Daniel then spoke into his radio. "Wizzy, they've managed to capture the two crooks. You're up," he said.

"F-A-B!" said Wizzy. She started up the bulldozer and moved in. as carefully as she could, she moved as many boulders as she could out of the way in one go before reversing back around and going in again.

* * *

It wasn't long before Katie and Leanna began to see daylight again. Katie continued to pat FAB3 in order to keep him calm until Wizzy had finished clearing the rubble. Leanna went back to the Mole and moved it from the cave before putting it back onto its trolley. Katie waited until both machines were back in Pod 2 before she walked FAB3 out into the open.

"Hey, what about us?" cried Bill from where he and Terry were handcuffed to the front bumper of the horsebox.

"You can't leave us here!" yelled Terry.

"Silence!" Katie snapped as she guided FAB3 out to where the others were.

"Hello, big fella," said Daniel as he took FAB3's reins from Katie. "Good to see you again."

Like Katie, FAB3 seemed to recognise Daniel as he neighed happily.

"Are the Police on their way?" asked Katie.

"Yes, they are," said Laura. "They should be here soon."

"Good," said Katie. "The sooner those scumbags are taken away, the happier I'll be."

"How does he look?" Daniel asked Rosie, who despite not being a vet was still giving him a check-over.

"He's seems perfectly fine," Rosie replied. "No injuries whatsoever. He'll be fine to take part in the race once we get him there."

"Providing Penelope can find the rider," said Laura.

* * *

Penelope and Parker had managed to reach the barn without being spotted. They had noticed there were two men lurking around the entrance so they knew it would be a bad idea to go in there so they climbed up the side wall using the outside metal girders. Penelope led the way until they reached the large gap near the roof where the look-out man was. He didn't even realise anyone was there until they grabbed his feet and pulled him out. His yell went unheard as he landed face-first in a pile of cow mess.

"Phew-e!" remarked Parker, holding his nose. "What h'a load of s…"

"Parker!" said Penelope with a sly smile and a raise of her eyebrows.

Parker cleared his throat. "Oh, h'ahem, yes, sorry, m'lady," he said as Penelope pulled herself up onto the open window ledge. Parker then pulled himself up to join her.

Concealing themselves amongst the high stacks of hay bales, they looked around. The barn was mostly filled with straw, but there were a couple of men walking around the gantries whilst another two men were down in the very middle. Close to where these two were standing was another fairly large young woman tied to a chair. Unlike her mother, Chantelle's hands were tied behind her back and she had a blindfold as well as a gag so that she couldn't see where she'd been taken.

"There she is, Parker," whispered Penelope. "We'll have to take out all the guards before we can free her."

"Star with the ones on the gantry and make our way from there, eh, m'lady?" asked Parker.

Penelope nodded. "Exactly," she said. "We'll have to somehow distract those ones by the door to lure to us."

"Or gas grenades?" suggested Parker.

Penelope grinned. "Even better!" she said approvingly. "Come on, let's go."

Chantelle tugged feebly at the rope that was binding her to the chair. Her muffled grunts were ignored by the two men standing near to her.

"Any word from the others?" one of them asked the other.

"Nothing," the other one replied. "Bill and Terry were meant to be hiding out in the old quarry near Dudley but nobody's heard from them since they got the horse. I heard the helijet's been sent to find out what's happened."

As the men were talking, Penelope and Parker dropped down onto the gantry above and crept up behind the two men walking on it. They grabbed them and kept them from shouting as they used chloroform cloths to knock them out. With them now dealt with, they had to deal with the two at the entrance to the barn before they could take out the two near Chantelle. They took out a gas grenade each and primed it before throwing them down towards the entrance of the barn. As the grenades burst and released the knock-out gas, the two men immediately began to cough and splutter before falling to the ground. It also caught the attention of the two near Chantelle, just as Parker and Penelope hoped it would.

"Hey, Steve! Al! what's going on?" shouted the first man who'd spoken.

But before either of them knew what was happening, Penelope and Parker had jumped down from the gantry and landed right on top of them. the impact on the floor instantly knocked them both unconscious.

Chantelle was mumbling in fear. More so because she couldn't see what was going on. Penelope hurried over to her whilst Parker kept an eye open in case anyone else came along. Chantelle blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light after Penelope had removed the blindfold. Her eyes widened and she continued to mumble when she saw who was standing in front of her.

"Shh, Chantelle, relax, it's me," Penelope said as she carefully peeled the tape off Chantelle's mouth. "You're safe now."

"Penelope?!" gasped Chantelle as Penelope began to untie her from the chair. "How on earth did you find me here? What's happened to FAB3?"

"It's okay, I've got some people searching for FAB3," said Penelope. "I know they will find him. Now are you hurt?"

"N-no, I'm not," stammered Chantelle. "Where's Mum and Tegan? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," said Penelope. "I found your Mum bound and gagged when I went round to tell you about FAB3. They didn't even touch your sister."

Chantelle burst into tears of relief. "Oh, thank heavens!" she sobbed.

Penelope had now finished untying Chantelle and she helped her to her feet. "Is it clear, Parker?" she asked.

"Yus, m'lady," Parker replied. "I'll call the car round." He sent a signal from his keys to FAB1 which automatically drove itself from where it had been hidden round to the yard."

"Get in the back, Chantelle," said Penelope. "Parker, we need to make sure these goons don't escape before the Police get here."

"Quite, m'lady," agreed Parker.

* * *

It didn't take long for Penelope and Parker to tie the six men up using the same rope they'd used to bind Chantelle with. They then left them inside the barn as they drove away in FAB1.

Once they were underway, Penelope called Daniel. "Daniel, it's Penny – we have found Chantelle."

"Good work, Penny," Daniel replied. "And you'll be pleased to know we've found FAB3 safe and sound. We're just waiting for the Police to pick-up the two men from the horsebox and we'll bring him back to you."

"Do you think you could take him to Aintree, please?" said Penelope. "We're on our way there now."

"Certainly," said Daniel. "How long have we got?"

"Just under an hour if he's still to compete," said Penelope. "Chantelle isn't hurt so she can still ride him."

"Good to hear," said Daniel. "See you soon."

As Penelope signed off, Daniel turned back to where the girls were trying to interrogate Bill and Terry.

"Why did you take FAB3?" asked Katie.

"You hardly look like the owners of a racehorse," said Wizzy.

"We're not telling you anything!" snapped Bill.

"Yeah, keep your noses out of our business!" added Terry.

Daniel could see this was going nowhere, so he came up with an idea. "You know things would go a lot better for you if you'd just tell us the truth," he said.

"Yeah, well we aren't talking!" said Bill.

Daniel looked at Katie. "Mole?" he asked.

Katie grinned, realising what he meant. "Mole," she said and then tapped her watch.

Bill and Terry's eyes widened as the Mole-Pod came back out. It came right up to them and stopped. Then its front tilted down to face them.

Daniel looked down at their alarmed faces. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he said sternly. "Katie, start the drill."

Terry and Bill trembled at the sight of the drill on the Mole's front. Even more so when it slowly began to spin around.

"Rupert Everett!" Terry suddenly cried. "He paid us to steal FAB3 so that it couldn't take part in the race!"

"Terry, shut up!" shouted Bill.

"No, _you_ will though!" snapped Leanna placing her boot on Bill's leg. "You will let him finish."

"I thought as much," said Daniel as the Mole's drill powered down. "If FAB3 was out of the race, there would be no competition for Unbeatable and Mr Everett would get the world record he wants so badly."

"But he has to!" wailed Terry. "He promised us we'd be rich!"

"Well sorry to shatter your dreams,," said Daniel. "But that's not going to happen"

Their attention was then drawn to the sound of Police sirens approaching. Bill and Terry could do nothing but watch as a group of three Police Cars and a van came rushing towards them.

"They're all yours, officers," said Daniel as the Police moved in to take the two crooks away. They then went back to their respective crafts and took off heading for Aintree Racecourse. However, time was not on their side.


	4. Act III

Thunderbird 2 had to fly slower and more steady than usual. This was because FAB3 couldn't be fastened down like the machines could be.

"We want him to have as smooth a ride as possible," Daniel said to Katie.

"Of course, Dad," Katie replied. "We don't want to be the ones to accidentally have him taken out of the race, do we?"

Daniel shook his head. "I'll just let Penelope know that we got him." He was about to press a button on the radio equipment but then stopped. "On second thoughts, I'll just text her."

"Text her?" asked Katie.

"She's got the rider with her," Daniel replied. "Don't particularly want to give away her connection to us if we can."

"Oh, of course," Katie agreed.

FAB1 was on the final approach to Aintree Racecourse when Penelope felt a buzzing noise from in her handbag. She took out her phone and looked. Her eyes lit-up when she saw that it was from Daniel.

"We've got him. Bringing him to you now."

Penelope was delighted. "Oh, thank heavens!" she gasped.

"What is it?" asked Chantelle.

"He's been found," Penelope said. "And he's fine. They're bringing him to us now."

Chantelle began to cry again with joy. "Oh, thank goodness!" she sobbed.

Parker grinned from ear-to-ear. "My bet h'is still h'on," he chuckled delightedly to himself.

Penelope then sent the following text back to Daniel.

"Thank you so much! xxx"

Wizzy and Leanna made FAB3 as comfortable as possible by positioning him between the front two pods. They had retrieved the food and water that had been in the back of the horsebox so that he could still have something to eat and drink before the race. He hadn't touched either of them whilst he'd been in the horsebox, but now he was munching away happily. He would need plenty of it.

"He's a lovely boy, isn't he?" said Daniel who'd come down to see them.

"He's gorgeous," said Leanna stroking FAB3's nose. "Can we keep him?"

Daniel laughed. "Where would we put him?" he asked.

Leanna thought for a moment. There was nowhere on Tracy Island for a horse.

Rosie then appeared. She'd been giving FAB3 a check-over. "He's absolutely fine," she said. "I'm may not be a vet, but I can happily say he's fit enough to compete in the race."

"Fantastic," said Daniel. He looked at FAB3, and a mischievous smirk appeared on his face.

Wizzy raised her eyebrows. "You've got something in mind, Dad, haven't you?" she said.

"Hmm?" said Daniel. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm just remembering the time Penelope and I took a country ride a few years back. We took him to the local pub. And the barman asked 'Why the long face'?"

He turned and walked away chuckling leaving Rosie, Leanna and Wizzy to groan.

FAB3 made a noise and looked at Wizzy. She looked down and saw he'd drunk all the water and eaten all the oats. "He's polished those off quick," she said. "You reckon he's still hungry?"

"He's not having my sandwiches!" Leanna said.

"I wouldn't recommend giving him anything he's not meant to have," said Rosie. She then turned and headed back up to the cockpit after Daniel.

Wizzy and Leanna looked at each other, and then at FAB3.

"We'll have to give him something," said Wizzy.

"Could refill the bucket with water," said Leanna picking the bucket up off the floor.

"Are you mad?" asked Wizzy. "The water in here is what we use for hosing down the pods. It's not drinking water."

Leanna sighed and put the bucket back down. "Well, I've got no options," she said. She then glanced up at the two pods that they'd used at the quarry. "May as well give them a clean whilst we're here," she said.

"You do that," said Wizzy as she stroked FAB3's nose. She'd just had an idea but knew Leanna would probably object so she waited for Leanna to go over to the water-hose before taking a yellow flask out from her utility-belt. She opened the lid and poured some of the special milkshake that Zoë made for them into the white cup. "Here you go," she said quietly holding the cup out to FAB3. The horse sniffed the cup and then began to sip the milkshake. Wizzy quickly realised that the cup was too big for his mouth so she poured the contents into the empty bucket. As she stepped back, he put his head down and drank the lot. When he'd finished, he licked his lips and looked at Wizzy approvingly.

* * *

At Aintree, the final preparations for the race were well underway, but the spectators hadn't failed to realise that FAB3 wasn't there. A lot of people were asking questions and security were brought in to guard Lady Penelope and Chantelle to keep the reporters and those who'd put bets on FAB3 from asking them why he hadn't turned up yet.

"Whoever your friends are I really hope they get here soon," Chantelle said to Penelope, looking anxiously at her watch. "There's only ten minutes left before the final deadline."

"They'll be here," said Penelope. "They've never failed me before and I don't expect them to fail me today."

Parker grimaced. "There's that Everett geezer, m'lady," he said. "Oh, I do 'ope 'e's the one behind this mess we're h'in."

"Easy, Parker," said Penelope. "We didn't get the chance to interrogate those men back at the barn, but maybe Daniel and the girls got those two with the horsebox to talk."

Rupert Everett was being interviewed by the press.

"Mr Everett," said a female reporter. "Has it come to your attention that your biggest threat hasn't even shown up yet?"

"I had noticed, my dear," said Everett. "I have got no idea why he hasn't turned up especially as I've noticed both Lady Penelope and his rider are here. They aren't known for last-minute hiccups, but maybe there's something they're not telling us?"

Suddenly there was a loud blast from a horn in the sky. Several of the other horses whined. Everyone looked around in surprise as the sound of aircraft engines grew closer.

Penelope and Parker grinned. They knew what it was.

"Oh, yes! 'ere 'e comes, m'lady!" exclaimed Parker excitedly as Thunderbird 2 appeared from behind the Grandstand. The other spectators and horse-owners watched in amazement as Thunderbird 2 manoeuvred round before landing on the grass in the middle of the course closely followed by Thunderbird 1.

"Well, this is a surprise!" remarked commentator Andrew Jefferson. "I had no idea that International Rescue were on this year's guest list!"

"Well that's just it, Andrew," agreed second commentator Adam Corben. "They aren't on the guest list. I wonder what brings them here?"

That was the question on everyone's minds as Thunderbird 2 lifted clear of Pod 2. When the door opened they gasped in surprise as FAB3 trotted down the ramp guided by Katie with Daniel, Rosie, Leanna and Wizzy walking behind whilst Laura came out from Thunderbird 1.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Jefferson. "It's...it's FAB3!"

Everett stared in disbelief. "How the hell did they find him?" he asked so that only his wife could hear. Then he glanced over at Lady Penelope. "She must have called them! Damn it!"

"Relax, darling," soothed Mrs Everett. "That horse has just been through a very distressing experience. He has no chance of winning this race - especially as our magnificent Unbeatable is the favourite to win."

Everett paid no attention to what his wife was saying. He just continued to glare over at Lady Penelope as she, Parker and Chantelle headed over to meet FAB3 and the International Rescue.

"Oh, my beautiful boy!" cried Chantelle hugging FAB3 tightly. "I was so worried!" Then she turned to Katie. "Thank you so much!" she said.

After taking FAB3 off Katie's hands, Chantelle headed off to the stables so that FAB3 could be given a final check-up. They'd arrived in time for him to still take part in the race.

"Everything okay, Penny?" asked Daniel once Penelope had given him a hug.

"It is now, Daniel," she said. She threw her arms around him. "I knew you'd find him."

"And you were right," said Daniel. "We made those two thieves tell us what we needed to know. They were indeed hired by Rupert Everett to keep FAB3 out of the race."

Penelope beamed. "I knew it!" she said triumphantly. "I knew it!"

"Are you going to tell the Police?" asked Laura.

"Not yet," said Penelope. "Let's wait until after the race, shall we?" She winked and then went to give each of the girls a 'thank you' hug as well before she and Parker headed back to take their places in the Grandstand. Seeing as they hadn't been invited, Daniel decided to stay where they were to watch the race.

* * *

As the time drew close to the start, the horses came out. FAB3 was unsurprisingly numbered 3 in the line-up. Unbeatable was number 1. Together they would compete against eighteen other horses, all of which were thoroughbred racers and all had victories and trophies under their belts. They were all battle-hardened veterans of the Grand National, except for FAB3 who was the underdog of this race despite having raced against some of the others before.

At exactly four o'clock, the starting pistol was fired and the race began. "And they're off!" said Andrew Jefferson. "And immediately its Unbeatable who has taken the lead. Can this magnificent animal live up to his name and win the Grand National for the fifth year in a row? If he can then Mr Rupert Everett will be the proud owner of a world record-breaking stallion!"

"Oh, please!" retorted Everett. "Can he win? No, Jefferson. He _will_ win!"

"Yes, Andrew, Unbeatable will be the first horse in history to win this race five times in a row," said Adam Corben. "But let's not underestimate his closest rival – FAB3! This as I'm sure many of you will know is the underdog in this race. FAB3 has never before taken part in the Grand National – and may I say what an arrival he had today. We don't know how Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was able to convince International Rescue to bring her horse here but at least he made it here safely."

The race was going well. All twenty horses successfully jumped each of the fences around the course and completed the first lap without incident. But it was during the second that things started to go wrong. Horsed 14 and 17 fell at the first fence; then 6, 12 and 19 tripped over one another at the third; and then 4, 10, 13, 18 and 20 seemed to have some kind of disagreement and started fighting amongst themselves whilst their jockeys tried desperately to break it up.

"My goodness this is unusual!" remarked Jefferson. "That's half of the horses out of the race with only three quarters of a lap left to go! as it stands Unbeatable is still in the lead but FAB3 is closing in right behind him. This is looking to be a close finish, isn't it, Adam?"

"It sure is, Andrew, it sure is."

The race was being watched worldwide, even on Tracy Island. Jodie, Joanne, Cassidy, Sian, Zoë, Beth, Adrienne and Karolina were all up watching.

"Lucky buggers," remarked Adrienne. "I would love to be there to see FAB3 racing."

"Oh, my, he's gorgeous, isn't he?" remarked Sian gazing in awe at FAB3 who was being shown on the screen.

"He's gaining!" Beth said watching the gap between FAB3 and Unbeatable. "Come on, boy, you can do it!"

But then there was trouble, as FAB3 jumped over the tenth fence, he slipped on a bit of mud and fell over onto his side throwing Chantelle off.

"Oh, my God, he's down!" gasped Laura.

"No, no!" cried Penelope.

But as they looked on, to the surprise of everyone, FAB3 quickly got himself back on his feet and he pulled Chantelle up with his mouth. She was bruised and a bit dazed but she was able to climb back on as he gave her a helping nudge with his head. And then he galloped off after the five remaining horses. Only 1, 2, 8, 11 and 16 were left with FAB3. The others had all fallen down or lost their riders meaning they were out of the race. FAB3 had up until this point been in second place and had almost overtaken Unbeatable. But now, with less than half a lap to go, he was stone-dead last.

"Well, Andrew, I must say we've never seen a horse get up and help its rider like that before, have we?" remarked Corben.

"Indeed, we have not, Adam," agreed Jefferson. "FAB3 is definitely back in the race and trying to close the gap although his chances of winning are now very low indeed. As they leap over the final hurdle and make their way towards the finishing line, it would seem that it is indeed going to be Unbeatable that takes the…OH, MY LORD!"

The crowd gasped in surprise. So did Lady Penelope, Parker, the whole of the International Rescue and everyone who was watching the race on television. FAB3 was running faster than he had been before. His head was so low it was level with the rest of his body. His legs were a blur as he sprinted past Number 11, then 2, then 8 and then 16.

"Goodness gracious me, what's going on here?!" exclaimed Corben. "FAB3's back in second place! How on earth did he do that?"

Everett had got to his feet and was already clapping to the certain victory of his horse when the sudden acceleration by FAB3 made him stop. He, his wife and all the supporters of Unbeatable watched in disbelief as FAB3 gained on him. The FAB3 supporters on the other hand were going wild, cheering and shouting in delight urging him to go faster. And then, less than ten metres away from the finishing line, he rocketed past Unbeatable and was now in the lead.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Jefferson. "FAB3's going to win!"

And he did! FAB3 rocketed across the line setting off two cannons of streamers to signal his victory with Unbeatable crossing the line less than five seconds later.

The crowd members who either supported and backed FAB3 or who didn't support Unbeatable erupted with cheers and claps whilst the Unbeatable fans remained in their seats looking very disappointed indeed. Everett just stood staring down at FAB3 unable to say a word. Mrs Everett had burst into tears. Like their supporters, neither of them could believe what had just happened.

* * *

As Chantelle and FAB3 reached the podium they were greeted with more cheers and claps. Lady Penelope and Parker managed to push their way through to join them. FAB3 stood on the top podium whilst Unbeatable came to stand on the second whilst Tornado – Number 16, came to stand on the third.

"Lady Penelope! Lady Penelope!" called a male reporter. "How do you feel about your horse winning the Grand National on his first ever time here?"

"Thrilled!" answered Penelope. "Of course, the build-up to this race would have been a lot better had FAB3 and Chantelle not been abducted this morning."

The reporters fell silent with surprise.

"Abducted?" repeated the female reporter who'd been talking with Everett. "How do you mean, Lady Penelope?"

Before Penelope could reply, Everett pushed his way through the crowds before glaring furiously at her. "RIGGED!" he thundered. "YOU PLANNED THIS, DIDN'T YOU, CREIGHTON-WARD! REMOVE YOUR HORSE FROM THAT PODIUM SO MINE CAN TAKE HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE!"

James Gold, the man who organised the Grand National was shocked. "Rupert! What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"DID YOU NOT SEE WHAT HAPPENED?!" Everett roared. "THERE IS NO WAY A HORSE CAN RUN THAT FAST WITHOUT IT BEING GIVEN SOME SPECIAL FOOD TO EAT!" he turned back to face Penelope. "YOU KNEW HOW IMPORTANT THIS VICTORY WAS TO ME! HOW DARE YOU DENY ME WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE! YOU CHEATER!"

Penelope wanted to shout back at Everett, but she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Daniel and the girls were approaching. She decided to play it very cool. "Cheater, did you say?" she asked. "Well, I must say, Rupert, that's very rich coming from you."

Everett's eyes flared up. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!" he demanded.

"You think I don't know who arranged for FAB3 and Chantelle to be taken?" asked Penelope. "It was you, wasn't it? And before you try and deny it, we have proof that it was you."

"Indeed we do," said Daniel as he and the girls arrived. "We got your men to talk. They told us everything. You had them snatched to secure the victory of your horse, Mr Everett. And look where that's got you!"

"That doesn't prove anything!" growled Everett. "I thought you said you had proof?"

Daniel revealed a small recording device from his utility belt and pressed the button on the top. Everett and his wife went pale when they heard the squeaky voice of Terry on the recorder. " _Rupert Everett! He paid us to steal FAB3 so that it couldn't take part in the race!_ "

There was a stunned silence. Then everyone looked at Everett.

"Well," said Daniel. "If that isn't the proof you need then I don't know what is."

Everett was about to speak when he was suddenly grabbed by two Policemen. "What are the hell are you doing?!" Everett cried as they dragged him away. "GET OFF ME!"

"Rupert Everett, My name is PC Stamp," said the larger of the two Policemen. "I'm arresting you for attempting to sabotage the Grand National."

Penelope, Chantelle and the International Rescue team watched in triumph as Everett was dragged away with his wife running after them shouting in protest.

"Job well done," said Daniel. "Justice served, Penny?"

"Oh, indeed," said Penelope. "Thank you so much, for everything."

Daniel smiled.

They cleared out from the podium so that photos could be taken of the three horses. Chantelle and Penelope stood next to FAB3 proudly holding the trophy.

Parker had disappeared off somewhere shortly after Everett had been taken away. He returned soon carrying a large sum of money in his hands.

"Been gambling again, have you, Parker?" Daniel asked. "Guessing it was FAB3 who you placed to win?"

Parker grinned broadly and held up his ticket. "You _bet_ I did, Mr Tracy sir!" he chuckled delightedly.


End file.
